Fallowtail of RiverClan: The Realization
by Grayfeather of RiverClan
Summary: Fallowpaw is an apprentice of RiverClan who is struggling with love and relationships during this period of her life.


**YEAR ONE: LEAF-BARE MOON ONE**

_Fallowpaw of RiverClan: The Realization_

_The sun shone down on_ an island surrounded by reeds. The chilly leaf-bare air was slightly heated by the warmth from the sun rays, but it wasn't enough to warm up Fallowpaw. Even her long, thick, RiverClan coat wasn't enough to keep her warm. On the island, there were groups of cats huddled together, keeping each other warm while they shared the gossip of the day. A small pile of prey sat in the middle of the clearing; the pile was very small, the smallest Fallowpaw had ever seen it. This worried the young she-cat: the elders may not make it through leaf-bare with such little prey.

The light brown she-cat shivered and glanced toward the apprentices' den, and thought of joining her best friend, Shimmerpaw, in their den. As she stood up on her shaky, hunger-weakened legs, Fallowpaw was distracted when four cats entered the camp through the well-trodden grass track leading away from the sedges and between the thick bushes of the camp. The four cats were Fallowpaw's brother, Cedarpaw, an apprenticed named Lakepaw, and their mentors Ottersplash and Troutclaw. Ottersplash's sleek ginger-and-white pelt was fluffed up, showing how cold the she-cat was. Ottersplash left Lakepaw's side so that she could go and join her mate, Timberfur who was enjoying a skinny fish with Rippleclaw and Mudfur. Cedarpaw's mentor, Troutclaw, hobbled over to his mate, Duskwater; both cats had grown very old with silver fur tinged around their muzzles, and Fallowpaw was sure they would both retire soon.

_How could RiverClan survive with fewer warriors? We're barely managing as it is!_

Fallowpaw bounded over to her brother, excited. She and her brother had grown very close since their parents were killed by a dog when they were only two moons old. Cedarpaw was the only living family she had left, and Fallowpaw could never let him go. When Fallowpaw arrived at her brother's side, he didn't pay her any attention and only seemed interested in talking to Lakepaw. He had confessed to Fallowpaw that he had a huge crush on the mottled, gray-and-white she-cat, and Fallowpaw always grew very jealous over her brother.

Cedarpaw had finally begun to end his conversation with Lakepaw so Fallowpaw decided to use that as an opening to talk to him. "Hey, Cedarpaw, how was hunt-"

"Your eyes are so blue! Who in your family gave you such handsome eyes?" Lakepaw glared at Fallowpaw as if she was trying to divert Cedarpaw's attention away from Fallowpaw.

_How dare her! Cedarpaw does not need to be hanging around this she-cat if all she wants to do is steal Cedarpaw from Fallowpaw._

Cedarpaw looked down and shuffled his paws awkwardly. He gave his chest fur a couple of quick licks, puffed his chest out, and proudly meowed, "I think that StarClan blessed me with such handsome eyes just so they could be looked at by your beautiful ice-blue ones."

Fallowpaw rolled her eyes and stalked away, boiling with anger. She could feel Lakepaw's eyes boring into her back. _Cedarpaw was right to say that her eyes are ice-blue; her entire heart is ice-cold! Cedarpaw is mine! He is the only thing I've had since my parents died. He should be talking to me; we had the same parents, and he lost his tail from the same dog that killed them. How can someone just come between us like that?_

Fallowpaw felt eyes on her and looked up to see her mentor, Shellheart, looking at her. He was a very handsome tom; maybe if Fallowpaw started to hang out with Shellheart, Cedarpaw would start to pay more attention to her. Maybe he would feel as abandoned as she felt when he left her. There was only one problem: Shellheart spent every spare minute of his time fussing over his mate, Rainflower, who was indeed a pretty she-cat.

Almost every RiverClan she-cat had a mate or future mate except her. Rainflower was with Shellheart, Lakepaw would end up with Cedarpaw, Ottersplash and Timberfur were mates, along with many more cats. When would Fallowpaw get a mate? She had pretty, soft, light brown fur and the same blue eyes that Lakepaw was mooning over.

Her dappled gray mentor padded up to her, "Fallowpaw, is there something wrong? Are you mad about something?"

"No, my brother is just crazier than a fox in a fit! Could I be excused from training today, please? I would like to go for a walk and clear my head," she replied very quickly, confirming Shellheart's assumptions of her being angry.

"But Fallowpaw, your final assessments will be coming up in the next moon, and you have learned a lot, but there is always more to learn," Shellheart was obviously worried for his first apprentice; she was normally very eager to go train, and even asked if she could do some extra on occasion.

"Please, Shellheart. Please," he blue eyes pleaded with his.

His blue-gray eyes were hard and focused, but after a few heartbeats, they softened and he mewed, "Fine. Go ahead, but be back before sundown."

Fallowpaw was very grateful and licked his cheek. Before he could say another word, she bounded off and called over her shoulder, "See ya later!"

Her brother had always made her mad, but this time it was different. He had always been her only family member, and Fallowpaw was very apprehensive to give him up. A rustle in a bush yanked Fallowpaw out of her thoughts and she focused her ears towards the berry bush. A small fox that was almost an adult popped out. The fox was a male, and a female fox, who was a tad smaller, followed him out of the bush. Fallowpaw stood in horror: she could not chase one, let alone two, foxes out of their territory alone.

Fallowpaw scurried away up the slope and hid behind a smooth granite boulder. In the cold leaf-bare air, Fallowpaw was happy that the rock gave off some heat to her. She glanced around the boulder with her brilliant blue eyes. The two foxes were playing with each other until the female knocked the male off his paws. Suddenly, she looked worried and licked his cheek. The two creatures stared at each other with soft, brown eyes. The two young foxes were clearly in love. _Great! Two foxes are obviously going to have pups yet Fallowpaw was still devoid of a mate. _

While the two were staring at each other, they were completely unaware of the adult female fox that had crept up behind the two young ones. The adult jumped in a flash of reddish-brown fur and stood between the two foxes. She pushed the male behind her and snarled at the young female with broken, yellow teeth. Hot steam from the fox's mouth met the cold air. The young female flinched at the adult's ferociousness and glanced worriedly at the male.

The male gained courage and leapt in front of the adult, who Fallowpaw assumed was his mother. He made a barrage of barking noises that resonated through the air. This time, the adult female flinched at the harshness of her son's voice. Then, she looked at the two young foxes; in that instant she realized that her son had grown up and was no longer hers to give away. He was the only one who could give himself away, and he already had.

Fallowpaw watched as the three foxes let their fur lay flat and put their teeth away. Together, they all began to pad away. To make sure that RiverClan was safe from the foxes, Fallowpaw followed all of them and made sure they left the territory. By now, she was by the river, past the gorge, at the end of RiverClan territory. As the young she-cat thought about what she had seen, she realized that Cedarpaw was not hers to give up; he never was. It was not her decision who he was mates with. She could only support his decision no matter what, and stand beside him throughout everything that was fired at her. Although, what was going to be fired at her within the next few moons, she didn't know if she could overcome.


End file.
